This time Chitleen feels flesh hacked beneath his blade and although the wound quickly knits back together, it is deep enough to still greive the supernatural jackal. Shirish also wounds the creature, but it shrugs off the damage.
Tarrar overreaches with the urgrosh's axe blade, but his spear tip nicks the shapeshifter. Unfortunately, not hard enough to leave a lasting wound.
The jackalweres stagger to their feet.
Chitleen's talwar scythes back at the beast he injured as it attempts to rise...
Talwar: for
Rapidly running out of arcane magick, Daeron contemplates a logical course of action and he takes it. With no thought of pride, Daeron takes a deep breath and cries out.
Nevertheless, he takes position, threatening the dog with the slumbering eye.
move to J5
attack staff:
damage:
Cold iron or not, Tarrar's urgrosh takes the jackalhead off the creature as it tries to regain its feet and its dead body drops back to the ground shrinking back into its regular jackal form. Lacking similar size and power, Chitleen's strike lodges in boiled leather. The jackalwere returns the favor as it steps out of the grease and cuts him with a two-handed chop of its battle axe.
The four legged jackal yips, surprised and injured by Daeron's powerful staff attack. It nips his leg and scoots back at the yells for assistance.
Round 4:
Hissing in pain, Chitleen turns to the defensive. His talwar is held forward and all attention put to fending blows away.
"STINKIN' MUTTS! FACE MEEEEEEE!!!!!", roars the barbarian one of the beast moves just beyond his reach.
Surak stabilizes. (-3 HP)
Round 4
Seeing the elven mage hounded by the jackal, Shirish moves away from the patch of grease to J4 and attacks the pesky vermin. While she moves, she will raise her shield.
Chitleen's jackalwere did not escape unscathed from Shirish's heavy new adamantine blade. She leaves the heavily wounded creature to Chitleen as she moves to defend Daeron, but misses the nimble desert scavenger.
Stung by the dog's grievous nip, Daeron holds back in pain but moves in a cautious circular motion, intending to flank the pup. Cautiously, he strikes out with his staff.
Daeron's blow was perhaps too cautious, but his calls were not unheeded as Erilene and several of the Breakstride's staff show up at the door armed with knives. Outnumbered and wounded, the jackalweres retreat down the dark road.
Daeron watches the hounds yip off into the darkness, and hurries to the fallen dwarf's side.
Tararr allows his rage to subside, despite his desire to give chase to the attackers, he stops at the sight of Surak. Kneeling beside his friend he attempts to aid him as best he can. Using what little knowledge he possesses, the dwarf dresses the wounds.
Surak wakes up, and looks around. Seeing only friends, some injured, he channels positive energy (twice) to heal.
Still being in sad shape, Surak burns his remaining two spells for the day on curing himself.
"Good lord...what hit me?"
Chitleen has only a brief thought to chasing the jackalwere as it fled... though thinks better of it. Wiping his talwar on the cloth of the fallen one, he sees that Tararr is tending to his fallen brethren and instead turns his attention to the fallen jackalwere's body pawing through it's cloth for possessions...
Perception: Take 10 for 19 on the looting
The stained and tattered maroon robes look deflated as they drape the foul smelling leather armor that holds only the body of the small dead dog-like animal. None of this is of value, but the blackened battle axe is of very good quality.
Erilene is quick to retrieve the inn's healing kit upon seeing Surak down and she assists the tired rager in bringing Surak back around. "You really bring the trouble," she sighs. "We haven't had this much excitement at the Breakstride in years. This is supposed to be my retirement."
Chitleen retrieves the battle axe from the body and when Tararr is finished with aiding Surak, he holds it out to the dwarf "A trophy sahib, as memory of your kill"
Erilene eyes the axe, "Nice trophy. That's definitely masterwork quality. Did you find anything out?"
Face turning to the inscrutable nature that he adopts whilst negotiating in the souks Chitleen both replies and does not "Questions were asked and answers given... though I'd wager we left with more loose threads than we arrived." looking about the street before adding "Perhaps it best we talk inside, yes? I for one would find my tongue more nimble with chai in hand."
"That's not a bad idea." Erilene nods to a well armed cook and in a matter on moments you are all seated back in the Breakstride's main room waiting for your chai. The inn is still abnormally quiet as the reveleries have yet to return.
Shirish remains staring after the enemy's hasty retreat, apparently lost to all that is occurring. She gives her head a shake, sending her braids flying, and is relieved to find that the dwarven priest is now moving of his own accord. Sensing that there is more conversation to be had than battle tonight, she removes the stopper from her waterskin and washes the blood from her sword, then follows her company.
Breaking the quiet tone while awaiting for drink, Daeron nurses his partially healed wound while saying.
The day's event closes with a break of sweat. Some leads that led us out today have been answered and new leads come to light. Chitleen, does the smell of the robes and armor resemble those that was present at the room upstairs?
Daeron waits and continues on another topic..
It does seem the city itself poses no barrier for the jackalweres to slip through. Perhaps they have laired within. I would hope the remnants of the battle today may lead us straight right to them. But first we would need proper equipment as only few weapons in our possession would wound these creatures easily.
Looking the at the axe, Tararr says,"I'll take this instead, elf." Reaching down, he picks up the head he seperated for the monster's body. "Do what you will with that trinket. It is not of dwarven make and of no use to me. Are you in need of any tendin'. It looks like they laid into you nearly as hard as they did, Surak here."
Moving to the elf he places a giant,rough hand on him looking for serious injuries. The look of exhaustion sits in his eyes, but the fire which fuels his existence rages through.
"None of us are in danger of keeling over again tonight. After I've had a good rest, I will spread what healing Ragathiel provides in the name of vengeance. Can anyone tell what this axe is constructed from?"
Chitleen casts a eye over the battleaxe...
Appraise: take 10 for 19
He shakes his head at Tararr "I shall endure good dwarf, I have means of my own." moving within and warming his hands with a cup of chai. "A foul day indeed, to have both begun and been ended with blood."
Erilene nods at Daeron as your tea arrives, "They must be close by to strike so quickly. I doubt they could slip inside the walls of the Solku unnoticed, but it would be far less difficult to hide in the River Quarter here where there are no walls, few guards, and many strangers. But where?"
"If it is but simple steel, I will not bother to carry it; my lord's favored bastard sword is all the steel I need. If it was a weapon more suited to killing these jackals, I believe it would suit Lord Ragathiel's need for vengeance, and I would have wielded it with great joy."
"I have some small skill in tracking, but it is not a specialty of mine. Do we have someone better now that we have a fresh trail to follow? While we are in no shape to confront them again, it would certainly be good to know something about where they may have gone."
"I have the ability to follow trails, though those left within the walls of the city are oft much more tortuous than those left in open field. At any rate I am diminished under the dark of the moon, where as they are not.... it may be best to await the morrow before attempting to discern their haunt."
I strongly urge to find means of better damaging our foes, it would take much effort to bring down our foes if cold iron is the only material that can harm them. Perhaps Lazaan can assist us in this matter. I wonder where is our Liason.
Daeron continues sipping his chai, wondering if the leaves are of Vudrani or Tian origins.
"My eyes are not stunted by the darkness," Shirish rumbles, "and maybe my nose is better too? Not too long in bottles," she comments as she oils down her longsword. She raises the weapon and places it on her knees momentarily before rising. "Best to track while scent is still strong, and... if there are so many, they could easily circle about over each other and confuse the trail."
"I'm ready any time. I do not long to wait for comfort's sake."
Erilene urges you move before the crowds returning home from the festivities in town muddle any tracks and Shirish leads the way to the front of the inn. She quickly finds traces of blood in the hard packed dirt. It will be difficult to follow the path, but certainly not impossible for those that can see clearly in the darkness.
Chitleen does not challenge Shirish's assertion by word, but does slightly raise an eyebrow. Deigning not to return outside Chitleen continues to sup upon his chai "By all means attempt to follow them tonight, but I am to stay. Quiet contemplation followed by rest are my tasks for what remains of the night."
Surak will accompany Shirish, and cast guidance on her each time she tries to search for tracks as well as using his own tracking skills to assist her (casting guidance on himself for the assist).
The searchers move swiftly to track the intermittent signs of the jackalweres' flight. The traces move away from town toward the far edge of the River Quarter. Just before the first caravansaries at the start of the settlement, the trail turns toward the wall and a couple of abandoned looking buildings possibly unoccupied since the Battle of Red Hail.
Shirish finds fresh tracks near one oddly out of place building that looks like a mausoleum. Squat and blocky with a floral cornice that tops the windowless walls. The only break in the walls is a pair of double doors that are securely chained and bolted.
"It appears we might have found their den. The only question is whether we save all the fun for ourselves tomorrow morning, or tell the watch about them before we rest."
"We should rest till mornin'. You are still not in the health you need to be and the elves need to be here ta check for anything of importance. I'd give anything ta get ahold of 'em tonight, but none of us in top shape right now."
"Indeed...back to the Breakstride, a warm bed, and some divine healing and a good breakfast."
Chitleen turns in for the evening after some time in conversation with Erilene.
Daeron finishes his chai and retires early, refreshing himself to prepare spell memorization in the morning.
Shirish narrows her eyes. "Does not the watch suffer from the same restrictions as our... companions?" Shirish inquires at Surak's notion of informing the watch. "Besides which, moving in such large numbers during this festival is only going to alarm the visitors..." Shirish shrugs.
The tracking team returns to the Breakstride to find the elves already on their way to bed. Festival goers start returning about that time and all are bound for their quarters after an eventful day.
The next morning, you discuss plans over a thankfully corpse free breakfast.
Surak feels slightly better than he did last night.
He knocks a large fist against the table to get the attention of the room. "I am about to call upon the power the Empyrian Lord Ragathiel for healing. Anyone who is in need, please join me for a moment."
Gathering up anyone else from our party who was injured besides himself, as well as any other patrons who desire, Surak channels positive energy three times.
Chitleen awakens early and in surprisingly good spirits despite the events of yesterday. He brews some chai and settles in, awaiting his fellows to join him... occasionally casting an eye around to see if their new friend of the vigil is to be joining them as well...
Tararr having spent the night preparing for battle, appears in good spirits. "Nothin' like starting the day with a good breakfast prior to hacking dogmen to death.", he says as he inhales a platter of food. "Let's get moving. I am sure they are expecting us and I'd hate to keep them waiting."